Peter Wright’s romantic tale from darts nearly man to world champion | Jonathan Liew

Peter Wright’s triumph on returning to darts after a string of dead-end jobs will remain one of the year’s great stories

Almost everything is different. For one thing the BBC graphic bills him as English, not Scottish. The throwing motion is not taut and measured but quick and impetuous. The hair is not spiked into a lurid Mohican but sensibly gelled and tousled, making him look less an elite sportsman and more the backing singer in an Irish pop group. The year is 1995 and, as a 24‑year‑old Peter Wright loses 3-1 against Ritchie Burnett in the first round at Lakeside, there is virtually nothing to suggest that we are watching a future world champion in the gestation.

Related: Peter Wright beats Michael van Gerwen to win his first PDC world title

Related: Gerwyn Price accuses Simon Whitlock of ‘pathetic’ play in PDC world darts

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